Week 14 of the NFL season features the biggest NFC East game of the year as the 8-4 Dallas Cowboys are on the road to face the 6-6 Washington Football Team.  These teams are No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the division, so Sunday’s encounter could be a potential playoff tiebreaker.  Dallas has been off since beating New Orleans 27-17 on the road last Thursday.  Believe it or not, Washington has been one of the hottest teams in the league over the last month as they’re riding a four-game win streak, including a 17-15 road victory in Las Vegas last week.

The Cowboys are 3.5-point favourites to win on the NFL odds, with a total of 48.0.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

The head-to-head series has been fairly back-and-forth between Dallas and Washington over the last couple of years.  Washington swept the season series last year, while the Cowboys swept the season series the year prior.  The Over has hit in four of the last five games.  Dallas is receiving a slim 52 per cent of early Sports Interaction betting action.  About 69 per cent of bettors are taking the Under.

The Cowboys have done well in Washington, winning in six of their last eight trips to the U.S. capital.  Dallas has rewarded bettors this year with a 9-3 record against the spread, covering in five of six road games.  The total has gone Under in five of the Cowboys’ last six games.

Washington’s four-game win streak brings their record to an even 3-3 at home and 3-3 on the road.  They’re just 5-7 ATS overall, although they’ve covered in four of their last five games.  The total has gone Under in six of Washington’s last seven games.

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas got an early Christmas gift last week, with the return of receivers CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper.  Lamb finished with 122 yards from scrimmage, while Cooper had two catches for 41 combined yards.  Quarterback Dak Prescott finished with 238 passing yards, throwing for one touchdown and one interception.  Running back Ezekiel Elliott had another underwhelming performance, rushing for 45 yards.  There’s concern that Elliott could still be dealing with a knee injury that has plagued him all year and the star rusher isn’t at 100 per cent.  Tony Pollard has stepped up during Zeke’s struggles.  Pollard had 71 rushing yards last week, including a monster 58-yard touchdown run.

The Cowboys’ defence didn’t miss a beat, despite head coach Mike McCarthy and five assistants not travelling with the team because of positive COVID tests. Dallas picked up Saints quarterback Taysom Hill four times, including three straight times in the final six and a half minutes of the game.

Washington Football Team

Washington is officially all-in on quarterback Taylor Heinicke with the official announcement that Ryan Fitzpatrick will undergo season-ending hip surgery.  Heinicke has led the team to four consecutive wins and thrown just two interceptions in that span.  Last week he finished with 196 passing yards and two touchdowns with one pick.

Antonio Gibson led the ground attack, rushing for 88 yards on 23 carries.  Gibson also picked up 23 receiving yards and a touchdown.  Tight end Logan Thomas caught the other touchdown pass and finished with a team-high 48 receiving yards.  There were fears Thomas tore his ACL in the fourth quarter last week, although the first tests indicated he did not.  There are more tests planned to confirm Thomas doesn’t have a torn ACL, but either way he’s likely not playing this week.

NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Cowboys vs. Football Team?